Athenas Take Two from Cal Lutheran

Mar 08, 2010

THOUSAND OAKS, CA -- CMS Softball (9-2, 6-0 SCIAC) traveled to
Thousand Oaks Saturday to take on Cal Lutheran in more first half
SCIAC action. Game times were moved up two hours in an effort
to miss the oncoming storm, with Game 1 starting at 10am.

The Athenas got busy quickly scoring in the top of the second on
a clutch pinch-hit RBI single from Kara
Mantani (JR, Redwood City).

In the top of the third, Harmony Palmer led off explosively with
a solo shot well over the centerfield fence. The Oceanside
freshman is currently hitting at a torrid .486 pace. Chelsea
Baker (JR, Tucson), 2-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs in the game,
kept the inning going with a single. She advanced to second
on an infield single by Rebecca
King (SO, Bellevue, WA) setting the table for Melissa
Muñoz (JR, Union City). Munoz' shot to left,
inches shy of another home run, bounced off the tubing atop the
fence for a double, plating both Baker and King. Emily
Nordhoff (SO, Seattle) followed with a shot off the wall
herself, scoring Munoz and taking her place at second. The
inning ended with 4 runs on 5 hits, stranding one.

The top of the fourth saw continued the offensive assault as Emily
Lopez (SO, Fresno) singled and scored on the 2 run homer by
Baker. With the score 7-0, the Athenas went scoreless in the
top of fifth before closing out the run-rule victory in the
6th 8-0.

The Athenas played stellar defense behind pitcher, Rebecca
Gularte (SO, Sunnyvale, [pictured left]) committing zero errors
in the game and exciting the crowd with several "web-gems."
Gularte pitched an outstanding game scattering just 5 hits while
walking 3 and striking out 2 in a game that did not see a Regal
reach third base one time. The sophomore continues to lead
the charge for the squad from the circle and has quickly amassed an
impressive 5-1 record and 1.39 ERA.

Game 2 began less explosively on the offensive side, but picked
right up on the defensive end as Emma
Friedenberg (SO, Danville, [pictured right]) stepped in where
Gularte left off. Through the first four, the young hurler
was working on a "no-no" (no runs, no hits) having complete control
of the game.

Her teammates took a while to get started offensively, but in
the top of the fifth, junior Gizelle
Pera's (Los Angeles) two-out triple off the wall plated Emily
Nordhoff from first. Having broken the ice, Palmer
immediately singled Pera in for the second run of the game.

Though Friedenberg's no-no was broken in the bottom half on a
bloop single, it only strengthened her resolve. Indeed, the
bloop would be the sum total of Regal hitting for the game.
In a show of support and some insurance, the Athenas put up a 4
spot in the top of the seventh on another clutch two-out
rally. The scoring was led by the hot bat of Baker, who
plated 2 with a key single, followed by King with another timely 2
RBI single. At the end of six, the squad sat atop a 6-0
lead.

Friedenberg quickly retired the side, 1-2-3, to finish the
outing with a remarkable one hit, one walk and three strike
outs. The second half of the tandem duo in the circle,
Friedenberg is now 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA on the season.

Totals on the day were impressive on both sides of the
ball. The Athenas amassed 14 runs on 16 hits while committing
0 errors in thirteen innings of play. Swinging the bats with
confidence, the squad hit 2 home runs, 1 triple and 4 doubles, all
five of which came off shots to the wall. Gularte and
Friedenberg on the day allowed just six hits, while striking out
five and walking four. No runner reached third for Cal Lu in
either game with just four Regals reaching second.

The Athenas are back in action at home against regional foe,
University of Mary Hardin Baylor, Wednesday, March 17th
at noon.